


Birthday Boy

by Clary_Amelia



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, M/M, steve's birthday, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:12:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7323775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clary_Amelia/pseuds/Clary_Amelia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fireworks are for Steve Rogers, or so Bucky says.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Boy

It was 1927, Steve Rogers was a tiny little seven year old and his best friend in the whole wide world was three years older than him. Sometimes he would tease him about how he was lots younger and smaller than he was, but mostly he just made sure the bullies didn't rough him up too badly when he decided he needed to fight. This year was the first year that Steve had Bucky as his friend on his birthday. He was extremely excited because this year his ma had saved up just enough money for the boys to get to go out and eat, grab some ice cream and head to a hill to watch the fireworks. And because Bucky was ten, and the oldest of all his sisters, Steve's ma let them go to the very top of the hill while she and papa stayed at the bottom. Bucky carried the blanket for them and laid it down smooth on the grass. Both boys plopped down on it, Bucky lying flat on his back and looking up at the stars. Steve hugged his knobby knees to his chest and grinned. "This is the best birthday ever!" he told Bucky excitedly.

 

"Yeah? Why's that?" Bucky asked him, head flopped over to the side so he could see the smaller boy.

 

"Cause now I got you!" Bucky grinned up at him and nodded.

 

"Yeah, you got me. You're always gonna have me, Stevie. Even if you try to fight every stupid bully in the whole world." Steve smiled down at his friend, tongue sticking through a gap in his teeth where one of them had fallen out.

 

"You got me too, Bucky," Steve said before he laid down next to him, closer than most of the other boys on top of the hill. But it was dark and chilly and Steve didn't have a jacket.

 

They were quiet for a few moments, watching a toddler try to chase his older sister, and looking up at the stars. Bucky pointed at the only constellation he knew. "You know what? Some day, I'm gonna be up there."

 

Steve looked at him like he was crazy. "Up there? Out in space? You can't do that, Buck!"

 

"Aw, come on Stevie! You just gotta believe! Don't you believe in me?" Bucky looked over at him with his lip jutted out in a pout, and Steve laughed at him.

 

"Course I do, Bucky! But you gotta wait for me, so I can go too!" 

 

Bucky smiled and laughed, but agreed quickly. And then the first firework was shot off. It burst in the sky, lighting up the field with a brilliant blue color. One went off quickly after, bathing the world in red. 

 

Bucky leaned over to Steve and yelled to be heard. “Hey, Stevie! You know what?” Steve waited until there was a lull in the fireworks to look over at Bucky. 

 

“What, Buck?” he asked him, eyes lit up with excitement. 

 

Bucky gestured around him and said, “All of these fireworks are just for you.” Steve rolled his eyes and Bucky grabbed his arm. “No, really! They’re all for you! Who else is born on the fourth of July?” Steve looked at the firework that just bloomed over them, and back to Bucky.

 

“Really? All for me?” he asked him, smiling so big his face hurt. Bucky nodded and said something that was lost in the booming sound of the next firework.

 

Twenty minutes later, after a fantastic finale, Bucky helped Steve fold the blanket and carried it down the hill to meet back up with Steve’s parents. Steve ran up to his mother and threw his arms around her leg. “Ma! Ma, Bucky told me that all the fireworks are for me!” Sarah smiled and ruffled Steve’s hair. 

 

“Well, he’s right. It’s all for you, my sweet boy.” Sarah leaned down to kiss Steve’s cheeks. “Come on, boys. We have a cake to eat at home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was 1937, Steve Rogers was seventeen, and Bucky Barnes was twenty. Bucky, as the oldest of four kids, and the only man in the house now, since his father had left for war, was breaking his back working at the docks. He had next to no money for himself, but he always saved up money to go dancing. He loved to dance. Especially with the pretty dames he could find. Steve hardly ever saw his best friend, if he wasn’t getting beat up.

 

So on July 4th, 1937, Steve sat at home, all on his own. His mother was on her third shift in a row at the hospital, but she was a nurse, and she was needed. Steve understood that. He didn’t have much hope of seeing his mother, or his best friend that day, even if it was his birthday. It was eight thirty, and Steve was ready to leave the house to go climb the hill and watch the fireworks. He threw on a jacket and his shoes and pulled the door open. He was looking down, but frowned when he saw a pair of feet that were not his in his line of vision. “Ma?” he said as he looked up. Sarah stood there, hair prematurely greying and with a few wrinkles around her eyes, but still the most beautiful woman Steve had ever seen. 

 

“Hey, sweetheart!” She wrapped her arms around him tightly. “I took the night off for your birthday! I couldn’t let my baby boy be all alone tonight. Especially since I wasn’t sure if Bucky would be able to come out tonight.” Steve hugged his mother and smiled. 

 

“You didn’t have to do that. I was just gonna go watch the fireworks.” Sarah shrugged. 

 

“Then let me get out of my uniform and we’ll go watch them!” She kissed Steve’s cheek and sidestepped around him to get into her bedroom. 

 

They left the house five minutes later and walked to the hill not far from their apartment. They sat down on their old blanket and watched the stars. It seemed like Steve and Sarah would be the only two that came out tonight to watch the show, but right as the first one was set off, exploding in sea of red, a figure came running up. He slowed for only a second and then continued on to the mother and son. 

 

Bucky dropped down beside Steve and sighed, chest heaving from his exertion. “Sorry I’m late, Stevie. I worked way later than I was supposed to, went home and cleaned up, went all the way to your place, but no one was there. I knew you guys would be up here, and I tried to make it before your fireworks started.” Steve was beaming, smiling from ear to ear. He leaned over and hugged Bucky, shaking his head. 

 

“I didn’t expect to see either of you tonight! This is the best birthday,” he yelled over the explosions. Bucky shoved at his shoulder. 

 

“Aw, come on, Stevie! I’d never let you be alone on your birthday!” Bucky shook his head at him before pushing Steve on his back like he was before, except now, his head was pillowed on Bucky’s shoulder. Which wasn’t great for Steve. 

 

Ever since he was seven years old, when Bucky made him believe that the fireworks were all for him, he’s been a little bit in love with his best friend. And now, his arms were huge and defined from working at the docks all the time, his eyes were always bright and happy, and he was just all around beautiful. Steve thought it wasn’t fair now that he had to lay so close to him. But he would never complain.

 

After the show ended, Bucky walked Steve and Sarah home. Sarah went inside to let the boys have a bit of privacy. Bucky grinned at Steve and rocked back on his heels. 

 

“Say, Stevie, I got a present for you,” Bucky told him excitedly. Steve raised his brows.

 

“You didn’t have to do that, Buck. You got your family to look after.” That earned a light smack to the back of the head.

 

“Like you ain’t my family, punk?” Bucky rolled his eyes. “I don’t have it with me, but your shoes, Stevie. They’re falling apart. So I got you a new pair. Even bought ‘em one size bigger so you can grow into them. You can stuff newspaper in it until they fit you right.” Steve didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t anything he could say, to show his gratitude. So instead, he just hugged Bucky tightly. When he pulled away, he looked up at Bucky, chewing on his lip. Eventually, he pushed himself up on his toes and kissed Bucky lightly. Bucky was still beneath his lips for a few seconds, and then arms came up and wrapped themselves around Steve’s back and Bucky pulled him close, kissing him gently. 

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 1940, Steve Rogers was twenty, and Bucky Barnes was twenty three. Sarah was sick, but was still working just as hard as before. Steve had a job at the store around the corner from his and his mom’s ratty apartment, but he couldn’t always go to work because of how sick he would get. Bucky made it his mission to have enough money to help out Steve, and accepted that Steve wouldn’t be able to pay him back. He was fine with that, because Steve was his best friend. Well. He was something more, but they couldn’t exactly go around proclaiming that. Much as Bucky wanted to tell everyone about his fella. 

 

It was the Fourth of July, and Bucky has been at work since way before the sun rose. Steve knew this because Bucky had left his bed about five hours ago. He’d woken Steve before he rolled over to give him a good morning kiss. Well, good morning kisses. 

 

Steve smiled sleepily to himself and rolled out of bed. He got ready for work and hurried to the corner store. He worked until five, when the store closed, and hurried back home. He took a quick shower, smiling when he heard a key twisting in the lock. He knew it would be Bucky, seeing as his Ma was working until ten that night. Steve hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. 

 

“Buck?” Steve walked out to the bedroom and was met by Bucky, already half naked with his shirt off, grinning like a cat. 

 

“Aw, you showered without me?” He smirked and reached out to grab Steve’s towel and tug him forward, plastering him against his chest in a hug. Steve groaned and shoved at him.

 

“Bucky! You’re all sweaty, come on, I just took a shower!” Steve groaned at him, glaring up at the older man, but Bucky just laughed. 

 

“You’ll be fine. Come shower with me,” he murmured, waggling his eyebrows. Steve just huffed a breath.

 

“You know we don’t have the money to pay the water bill,” he reminded Bucky. His best friend just grinned at him.

 

“I paid all the bills for this month already,” he murmured. Steve leaned back to look up at him.

 

“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?” Steve demanded. Because this was just too much. He couldn’t allow Bucky to do this for him when he would never be able to return the favor. And he knew that Bucky would say it was a gift and Steve wouldn’t need to repay him for it, but Steve knew he would break himself trying to. 

 

Bucky smiled softly. “I’m not. C’mon, Sarah’s sick, you’re sick. Lemme do this for you. I promise I didn’t get you nothing else,” he told Steve softly. He tugged Steve closer to him and leaned down to kiss Steve softly. “‘Sides, the fireworks are all for you.” 

 

Steve shook his head and chuckled. “You’re absolutely the best. Jesus, Buck,” he muttered. He kissed Bucky back and and pressed himself closer to his boyfriend.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 1944, months before the fourth of July, Steve was twenty three, and Bucky would have been twenty six. They never made it to celebrate the fourth of July. 

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 2009, Steve was somehow only twenty four, and Bucky would never be older than twenty six. It was the fourth of July and Steve was sitting alone in an apartment, flinching every time a firework exploded in the sky. He kept hearing seven year old Bucky tell him that every firework was for him. And Steve couldn’t stop the tears flowing down his face. He felt like his chest was constricting, he couldn’t breathe, and he felt like he was having an asthma attack for the first time since he became Captain America. He dropped his head to his hands and sobbed quietly into them. He could feel his heart breaking over and over again.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 2012, Steve was twenty seven, and he had found a new group of people that actually cared about him. The fourth of July rolled around, and he thought he would do the same thing he’s done the past three years, sob quietly alone in his apartment, listening to Bucky’s favorite songs. But this year, Stark dragged him to the Tower, and he had a barbeque set up with the rest of the Avengers waiting for him. It was the first time he had smiled on his birthday genuinely since 1940.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 2014, Steve was twenty nine. He had found out Bucky Barnes was still alive, and he and Sam Wilson spent the fourth of July chasing after the Winter Soldier. Steve had found him in various countries, and each time he said the same thing. “I don’t know you. I have no idea who you are.”

 

It was sundown, and Steve was losing hope. Right as a firework illuminated the sky, Steve felt someone grab his arm. He was tensed and prepared to fight. But as soon as he saw Bucky, the fight drained from him. “...Buck? That you?” Bucky was dragging in air, and he was staring up at him.

 

“Yeah.. Yeah it’s me.” A second firework lit up the sky and Bucky flinched. Steve relaxed and reached out to rest his hand on Bucky’s forearm. “I.. don’t really remember anything, though,” he whispered.

 

“That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t. Come on, let’s get you home, yeah?” He held on tighter to Bucky. 

 

Steve finally got to bring Bucky back home after years of missing his best friend. Sometimes things were awful, but each day Bucky was getting better and better. 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It was 2016, Steve was thirty one. No one knows exactly how old Bucky is, but he still insists that he is older than Steve, because he’s always older than him, shut up, Stevie, you ain’t gonna beat me. 

 

Bucky insisted that since this was the first year both he and Steve are as close as they can get to who they used to be, that they spend his birthday like they used to. Steve, of course, automatically agreed. Bucky has been searching for a spot like they used to have to watch fireworks, and he has kept steve in the dark about where they’re going.

 

Bucky went so far as to blindfold Steve, not letting him peek at anything until they got there. Bucky jumped out of the car and ran to the other side to help Steve out, turning him to face the small hill he had found. He took off Steve’s blindfold and grinned brightly. “It’s almost where we used to watch the fireworks!” Steve laughed and shook his head in disbelief. 

 

“I can’t believe you found something like this, Bucky!” He smiled and grabbed Bucky’s arm to run up the hill. They sat next to each other on the grass, waiting for the sun to set and the fireworks to begin. 

 

“Hey, Stevie?” Steve glanced over at Bucky and raised his brows. The sun dipped below the horizon right as Bucky leaned forward to kiss him, for the first time in the new century. Steve was so shocked he didn’t even register the firework going off until it exploded over them, bathing them in a blue light.

Steve smiled, his chest feeling lighter than it had in years, and looked up to watch the show. When there was a lull between the explosions, Bucky threw an arm around Steve and whispered, “Don’t forget, doll, these are all for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! You can find me on tumblr at clary-amelia. I'd love to fill prompts if anyone has them! Stucky isn't my only fandom either, it's just the only one I've wrote stories for so far!


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